Damper-regulating apparatus.



J.B.GRANDON.

DAMPER REGULATING APPARATUS. APPLIUA'PION FILED SEPT. 16, 1908.

Patented July 26, 1910.

BBHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. B. GRANDON.

DAMPER REGULATING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 16, 190 8.

Patented July 26, 1910.

3 SHEETS-*SHEET 2.

J. B.- GRANDON.

DAMPER REGULATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1908.

Patented July 26, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES- PAIE JOSEPH B. CRANDON, OF NORTH WALPOLE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIG-NOR TO ORANDON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BELLOWS FALLS,'VERMONT, A CORPORATION OF VERMON '1.

DAMPER-REGULATING APPARATUS.

Application filed September 16, 1908. SerialNo. 453,274.

CRANnoN, a America, and

determined maximum and minimum degree -of heat to close an electrical circuit which, acting through electrical apparatus, sets in operation mechanism which opens or closes the dampers or valves of heating apparatus.

' Heretofore in apparatus of this character, a relativel strong current of electricity has been required to operate the releasing devices, and when released the damper operating devices make objectionable noise.

This invention consists in the improved construction of the releasing mechanism by which only a very small electric current is needed to operate the electrical release, and

in the employment-of devices by which the damper operating mechanism is caused to move slowl steadily and .without noise, thus obviat' g the two objectionable features above named.

In the drawings forming apart of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus which conveniently may be secured to a floor beam above the cellar; Fig. 2 is an elevation viewed from of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isan elevation viewed from g he side opposite to that shown in Fig. 1;

which exten s through the frame,

and upon one side of the frame carries a loose sprocket" wheel W, the hub of which has ratchet teeth R which are engaged by a spring-controlled Eawl P pivoted at p to an esca ement arm which is secured to the s aft S. A sprocket chain C passesover the wheelW and at the other with ahan-dle the right 4 shows the apparatus connected with; the dampers of a furnace in the cellar and the electrical wires connecting it with a ther-= and is provided at one end with a weight 'w' 7 20 By pulling'downward upon this handle W turns freely upon the shaft S, the pawl P riding over the ratchet teeth R, and the weight w will be raised to a" position for operating the dampers through the shaft S. The downward pull of the weight 20' tends to turn the wheel W in the opposite direction, but independent movement of the wheel in this direction is revented by the en agement with the'ratc at R of the pawl on the arm B, so that this wheel can turn only when the arm B is permitted to turn.

Upon either side of the frame A, a crank the wheel E is secured to the shaft S, at an angle of 90 to each other. -Pivoted to-the frame A below each of these cranks, is a cylinder G, each containing a piston, not seen, the rod g of which, works through a packing in one end of the cylinder and is'connected to one of the cranks E. These pistons are made a little smaller in diameter than the interior of the cylinders, so as to permit the passage of the ligpid in thecylinder from one side to the ot er of the piston when it is moved up and down; but the space between the piston and cylinder is suificicntlv constricted to cause the liquid to flow slowly by the piston when it"is' reciprocat'ed; thus the device serves as a dashpot to regulate t e s the usual noise which occurs when the moving parts are stopped. 4

Outside of the connection of the piston rods g with each of .the cranks E, arms H are attached, and are arranged to extend diametrically of the shaft S upon. opposite sides of the frame A. A pin or screwh is provided in each arm H, and a chain I extends from each of these pins to the respective dampers f, f, of the furnace. Means are also provided for adjusting these pins 72. in the arm 'H,"radial1y in relation to the axis of the shaft S, so asto vary the extent of movement of the dampers in openingor closing, as may be desired.

Upon one side of the frame/A a small electro-magnet M is secured, the spring con- 105 trolled armature m of which indirectly serves to hold and release the escapement arm B. Pivoted upon the same-side of the frame A are also a series of latch or retaining levers L, l, Z each one of which has a 110 peed of revolution of the shaft S, and give it a steady movement and also prevent bearing upon one or more of the others, and the lever L has a bearing upon the end of a'rmB when in a horizontal position. The mutually impinging surfaces of the several levers are oppositely'beveled or inclined, so that the resultant force of the pressure of one-lever upon the other is largely in the direction of their length rather than at right angles thereto; conse uently the friction of one lever upon the ot at is reatly reduced and therefore, the friction of the end of the lever l which bears upon the end of the armature m issmall, andonly a small current of electricity is required through the coils of the ma et M to pull down the armature and re ease that lever. For the purpose of returning the latch levers L, l,

substantially to their normal position,

' upon opposite sides. of the shaft S. The

fixed end of the thermotensile arm is electrically connectedthrou h a battery U with one terminal'of one of t e coils of the magnet M, and one terminal of the other coil is electrically connected through the iron frame A with the shaft S, upon which is an eccentric rojection, or pin, V, in a position between t e two contact springs 'g, g, so that as the shaft S rotates, the pin V makes contact with first one spring and then the other, and puts it in circuit with the magnet M through the frame A, and alsothrough the connecting wires with one or the other of the contact points of the thermostat,' and in either case a circuit through the magnet M is completed, which will be closed as soon asthe vibratory arm of the thermostat is moved againstone orthe other point. As soon as the magnet M is thus energized it will pull down its armature m and release the lever Z which will permit the end of the escapement arm B to slide by the projecting end of the lever L, by

reason of the pull of the weight w upon the sprocket wheel W. Immediately that the end of the arm B has passed oi the end of the lever L, the counterweight n will drop until its so porting rod rests upon the pin 0 on the ever L, thus moving the leverl' into a substantiall horizontal swing the ever Z to the ri ht until it is in contact with the end of lever and the notch in the lower end of the lever Z is over the end of the counterweights tact when. the

armature m. Meantime the rotation of the shaft S will move the pin V out of contact with the spring for example, the circuit through the magnet M will thus be opened and the armature m released, and the spring which supports the armature will throw it up into the notch in the end f the lever Z which throu h the levers Z, will arrest the arm B w en its opposite end strikes the projecting end of the lever L, and hold the arm B until the circuit is again closed.

In case one of the dampers, f for instance,

is heavier than i, a spring m may be em" ployed to counterbalance such extra. weight (see Fig. 4),

In arranging the chain C upon the sprocket wheel -W, it should be ad usted so that when the handle w is' raised into contact with the stop-guide a,', the arm B will be in a substantially verticalposition, and the pin V will not be in contact with either spring q or q, and. consequently there will be no danger of exhausting the battery U to'no purpose. It will be found convenient to have a thermometer 'ator near the thermostat, for the pur ose of comparison.

The operation 0 the apparatus is substantially the same. as that of several others inuse, namely, as soon .as the .tem erature at the thermostat rises above .or. alls below the predetermined, limits at which the thermostat is set, the vibratory arm of the thermostat will move into contact with one of the contact points and close the electrical circuit through the battery, the magnet coils M, the pin V and one; of the springs 91, 9, thereby causing the magnet M to draw down its armature m and release the lever 1 and thus by tripping the levers Z, L, permit the weight w to turn the wheel W,

and with it the arm B, the cranks E and arms H, and through their connections by chains I, with the dampers f, f reverse their ositions, that is, open theme which was. 0 osed and close the one which was open; meantime whilethe arm B controlled by the dashpots G, G, is slowly and steadily making a half revolution, the countefweights n, n, will have returned the levers L, Z, 1 to their normal position, where they will intercept and stop the arm B as it moves up beneath the projecting end of the lever L;

also the pin V will have made a half revolution and come into contact withthe spring opposite to that with which it was in conprevious release occurred. By constructing the frame so that it may be readily attached at one edge to a fixed support, and project at right'angles thereto in a single plane, both economy and con-- venience are attained, for the frame may; be cast as. an integral structure, the drivin shaft is extended through the frame an supported in a single bearin therein and the other operating parts, com ined with the is o anism which have been heretofore employed in heat regulating apparatus have been ineffective and failed to obviate the very objectionable feature of noise in the operation of the dampers. By the use of dash-pots, the piston-rods of which are directly attached to the damper operating cranks, the moving parts are operated as noiselessly as though carefully controlled by hand power.

I claim:

1. In a damper regulating apparatus, a thermostat, an electro-magnet in circuit therewith, a rotatable shaft provided with cranks respectively connected with the dampers to be operated, means to rotate the shaft, one or more dashpots combined with the cranks, an escapement arm upon said shaft, and a series of frictionally-engaging retaining levers between said arm and the armature of the'magnet to engage the arm and hold the shaft from .rotation while the electric circuit is open, and to release it when the circuit is closed.

2. Ina damper regulating apparatus, a thermostat, an electro-magnet in circuit therewith, a rotatable shaft provided with means to alternately make and break the magnet circuit, cranks upon the shaft to operate the heat regulating dampers, means to rotate the shaft, means to regulate the speed of rotation of the shaft, an escapement arm thereon, a series of arm arresting latchleve'rs between said arm and the magnet armature, the mutually impinging portions of the several levers being provided with oppositely beveled surfaces.

3. In a damper operating apparatus, a thermostat, an electro-magnet in circuit therewith, a rotatable shaft, means thereon to alternately make and break the magnet circuit, cranks upon the shaft to operate the dampers, means to rotate the shaft, one or more dashpots to control the speed of the shaft, an arm upon the shaft, a series of latch-levers between said arm and the magnet armature to hold the arm from rotation when the circuit is open'and to release it when the circuit is closed, and counterweights to return the latch-levers to normal position after the arm is released.

4. In a damper regulating apparatus, a thermostat, an electro-magnet in circuit therewith, a rotatable shaft provided with cranks respectively connected with the dampers to be operated, means to rotate the shaft, an escapement arm upon the shaft, a

series of latch-levers between said arm and the armature of the magnet to engagethe armature and said arm and hold the shaft from rotation while the electric circuit open and to release it when the circuit is closed, and means to restore the latch-levers, automatically, to their normal position after the arm is released.

JOSEPH B. CRANDON. Witnesses:

E. E. GRIFFITH, F. H. MARK. 

